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8/7/2013 1:00 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

James Gandolfini suffered an indignity after he died in Rome -- someone apparently stole his expensive Rolex watch within hours after he died ... TMZ has learned.

We've obtained an insurance form filed by James' people. According to the form and family sources, someone stole a $3,000 Rolex submariner watch from James' hotel room on the day he died.

The insurance form says there was no damage to the room and there's no mention of forced entry. There's no suspect listed on the form ... but the implication is that someone may have pilfered the item during the commotion following the heart attack that killed the actor.

The form doesn't specifically describe the type of submariner that was stolen, but they vary wildly -- some are diamond encrusted, some are platinum and some are gold.

We found a pic of James at the "Nicky Deuce" premiere in May -- a month before he died -- and he was wearing a watch that could be the Rolex in question.

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6/28/2013 5:00 PM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

Alec Baldwin insists he doesn't hate gays ... just "queens" ... and that's just the beginning of the mind-numbingly stupid explanation he just released in the wake of his homophobic Twitter rant.

Baldwin called up a reporter for The Gothamisttoday ... to address the backlash after he called for his fans to physically attack a "toxic little queen" reporter who wrote an article about his wife tweeting at James Gandolfini's funeral.

Here's what Baldwin had to say:

"The idea of me calling this guy a 'queen' and that being something that people thought is homophobic ... a queen to me has a different meaning. It’s somebody who’s just above. It doesn’t have any necessarily sexual connotations. To me a queen ... I know women that act queeny, I know men that are straight that act queeny, and I know gay men that act queeny. It doesn’t have to be a definite sexual connotation, or a homophobic connotation. To me those are people who think the rules don’t apply to them."

Alec is full of crap ... and here's why: In the same Twitter rant in which he attacked the reporter, George Stark, Baldwin included the threat ... "If (sic) put my foot up your f***ing ass, George Stark, but I'm sure you'd dig it too much."

So let's do some math. Queen + enjoying a foot up your ass = homophobic slur.

6/28/2013 6:05 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

Alec Baldwin -- who puts Paula Deen to shame in the bigotry department -- again showed his true colors with a hate-filled tirade that targeted gays.

A British reporter wrote a story that Baldwin's wife was tweeting recipes and other things during James Gandolfini's funeral. The actor went nuts on twitter, claiming the story was false. Nothing wrong with that.

6/22/2013 5:15 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

Business is business when it comes to the Italians and with James Gandolfini's body still warm, the hotel he died in has already rented out his room ... to none other than NY Governor Andrew Cuomo's girlfriend!

The "Sopranos" star died from a fatal heart attack on Wednesday night, the room was rented on Thursday, and Sandra Lee checked in yesterday according to the NY Post.

The Food Network star arrived to hotel Boscolo Exedra Roma with her sister and nieces. A source told the paper that Lee's party rented a few rooms at the luxury hotel, including the $671/night fourth-floor suite where Gandolfini’s 13-year-old son found him keeled over in the bathroom.

When singer Whitney Houston died in the bathtub of the Beverly Hills Hilton, they took the room off the rotation for quite some time ... but that's clearly not how it's done in Rome.

The Italians gotta make them euro euro bills y'all ...

A rep for Lee tells US Weekly that Lee has since moved out of the room, saying, "Sandra Lee has moved out of the hotel room previously occupied by James Gandolfini ... The European paparazzi has been overwhelming ... with non-stop phone calls to the room ... reporters are pulling all sorts of trickery -- trying to bribe hotel staff to get into the suite."

6/21/2013 11:01 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

EXCLUSIVE

It's a tribute worthy of Tony Soprano -- a Bada Bing stripper from the HBO show has paid her respects to James Gandolfini the only way she knows how ... by spinning around a pole in a g-string to the "Sopranos" theme song ... and it's all on video.

The clip was shot last night at the real-life Bada Bing -- a place called Satin Dolls in Lodi, NJ -- and it features longtime Bada Bing veteran Diana Lynn, who first appeared on the "The Sopranos" pilot episode back in 1999.

Diana -- who worked as a background dancer in several "Sopranos" episodes thereafter -- has been dancing at Satin Dolls for 15 years.

Diana says she's heartbroken by the loss of the great actor -- telling us she formed a bond with Gandolfini during his "Sopranos" days. She says the actor often hung around Satin Dolls after filming just to squeeze in some quality stripper time.

And based on the video, it really meant a lot to her. Bada bing, bada boom.

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6/21/2013 4:00 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

EXCLUSIVE

Aside from his weight, James Gandolfini didn't have ANY underlying health problems before his death ... at least that his family was aware of, TMZ has learned.

Sources extremely close to Gandolfini's family tell us, the "Sopranos" actor never once mentioned that he was suffering from heart or other health issues -- and by all appearances, he was in near-perfect condition.

Gandolfini has admitted to having problems with cocaine and alcohol in the past -- and obviously struggled with his weight -- but we're told the family was utterly blindsided by his sudden death.

As we reported, Gandolfini passed away Wednesday from an apparent heart attack while vacationing in Italy. He was 51.

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6/21/2013 2:02 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

TMZ TV

James Gandolfini wasn't just a great actor, he was an awesome guy ... often when our cameras were rolling. So, we put together our coolest moments with "The Sopranos" star -- topped off with a kickass eulogy from Michelle Rodriguez.

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6/20/2013 11:01 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

breaking news

James Gandolfini dined at an Italian restaurant and was photographed during his meal shortly before he died.

We've been getting unconfirmed reports Gandolfini was at Vitti restaurant in Rome -- where the pic was taken -- hours before his death. Although we know he was there, the restaurant can't confirm if it turned out to be his last meal.

And now we know ... doctors tried in vain for 40 minutes to resuscitate the actor. They tried everything -- heart massage and other methods but there was no electric activity from the heart, meaning he was probably dead before he even got to the hospital. The hospital confirms that.

There will be an autopsy, which will probably include a toxicology report that will reveal if drugs or alcohol were in Gandolfini's system.

The chief doc at the ER says it looks like the "Sopranos" star died of natural causes -- a heart attack.

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6/20/2013 6:25 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

breaking news

A doctor who runs the ER where James Gandolfini was taken before he was pronounced dead says there are no suspicious factors, such as alcohol, but the statement appears premature -- especially with respect to any drugs that might have been in the actor's system.

Professor Claudio Modini, the chief ER doc, says it looks like a heart attack, adding it was "probably a natural cause of death, myocardial infarction."

Gandolfini had acknowledged he had been addicted to cocaine and booze, and substance abuse played a part in his 2002 divorce.

As for the professor's tentative conclusion, it's premature to know if drugs or alcohol were a factor. It's also unclear what -- if any -- toxicology tests will be performed on Gandolfini's body.

As we previously reported, Gandolfini died Wednesday in Italy while on vacation with his son. He had been staying at the Boscolo Hotel Exedra in Rome (pictured below).

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